I have been an anti-corruption crusader all my life and not an anti-corruption entrepreneur- Martin Amidu told government as he resigned
Apexnewsgh.com has captured the resignation letter which indicates that the Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has officially resigned from his position. According to the letter, Mr. Amidu stated that he should not put his resignation letter in the public space but, due to the traumatic experience, he went through from 20th October 2020 to 2nd November 2020 when he conveyed in a 13-page letter the conclusions and observations on the analysis of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption assessment on the Report On Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions and other matters related thereto the President as Chairman of the National Security Council cautions against not bringing my resignation as the special Prosecutor with Immediate effect to the notice of the Ghanaian public and world. “…the reaction I received for daring to produce the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption report convinces me beyond any reasonable doubt that I was not intended to exercise any independence as the Special Prosecutor in the Prevention, investigation, prosecution, and recovery of assets of corruption. My position as the Special Prosecutor has consequently become clearly untenable.” Below are the full details: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications.
FEATURE: LIVILIHOOD ARTISANAL TRADE AND VOCATION SKILL TRAINING
The United Nation Sustainable Development Goal 4: specifies inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunity for all by 2030, and there is a need to substantial increase in the number of youth and adult with relevant skills to gain good employment, acquire decent jobs and pursue entrepreneurial skills. One of the flagship programs of the National Youth Authority is the Skill towards Employment and Productivity (STEP) Programme seeks to provide job for skilled unemployed youth between the ages of 18 to 35 to help mitigate the economic impact of COVID 19. The intervention also known as the Livelihood Artisanal Trade and Vocational Skill Training is tailor made to give training to the youth who have some skills but needs polish up on basic financial management, marketing and branding, leadership and team work to turn into entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. The Upper East Regional Director of the National Youth Authority Francis Takyi Koranteng in an interview indicated that as part of the programme, every region and district have been given quota to recruit skilled but unemployed youth within their operational areas for a two weeks generic training after signing up for this project. Mr Takyi Koranteng encouraged qualified youth to pick up forms from the District offices of the National Youth Authority adding apart from building networks and gaining visibility for their works, beneficiaries of the project will get start up tools as well as have work places rented out to them. He explained the modalities after one has signed up for the Skill towards Employment and Productivity (STEP) Programme. Another flagship programme of the National Youth Authority is the Youth and Leadership Training Institute that provide relevant skill training to the youth to gain employment, decent job and pursue entrepreneurship. Here in the Upper East Region we have the Sandema Youth Leadership and Skills Training Institute and in the North East Region there is the Nalerigu Youth Leadership and Skills Training Institute. Like many of our state-owned institutions these training institutes are bedeviled with teething challenges but for all intent and purpose, the reasoning behind their setting up is noble. Recently Ghana joined the rest of Africa to celebrate the youth on the occasion of the Africa Youth Week set aside by the African Union Commission to promote an increased awareness and recognition of young Africans as critical agents of positive change. There was clarion call to enhance the development and empowering of Ghanaian youth through various activities and programs. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Contributor Prosper Adaakai Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications.
UER: Basket dealers and exporters appeals for legal backing to against intrusion
Strong Straw Basket Dealers and Exporter Foundation have called on the government to enact a legal document to will regulate the sector to boost growth and prevent foreign intrusion. The basket business is the main viable economic venture of the people in the region however of late individuals mostly foreigners who are not associated with any basket dealers or export organization are trooping into the market to buy the baskets directly from the weavers without any regulations or restriction. The phenomenon, they say is affecting the progress of the business and their livelihood is being taken over by foreigners. The Chairman of Strong Straw Basket Dealers and Exporters Association Ayezeriba Agana who made the call at the official launch of the association at Craft Village in Bolgatanga says the sector employs over thousand people mostly women and the youth and therefore pragmatic measures needs to be taken to protect their business. The Bolgatanga Basket has attracted far more foreign exchange into the country than any other product from the North. Unfortunately, this unique and exclusive product from the north has not received the necessary attention that it deserves from authorities and the industry is largely unregulated. There have been numerous complaint of fraud from foreign buyers of Straw Baskets from the Upper East to the effect that people have received monies from them with promise of supplying baskets which they never got while others complained of poor quality of baskets from imposter who are not recognized by the association causing foreign buyers to lose interest in the Bolgatanga Baskets. The Association Chairman Ayezeriba Agana indicated that the association is seeking the endorsement and support of stakeholders especially local government authorities to apply all laws aimed at protecting and promoting the local businesses that will help Assemblies to collect the needed taxes on all baskets. In a speech read on her behalf the Upper East Regional Minister Madam Tangoba Abayege urged the dealers, producers and exporters in the Basket sector to collaborate with stakeholders such as Ghana Export Promotion Authority GEPA, Ghana Tourism Authority and the National Board for Small Scale industries to improve on the quality and address challenges confronting the industries. For his part the Upper East and Upper West Zonal Coordinator of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority Martin Akogti observed baskets is one of the non-traditional exports contributing immensely to the growth of the economy saying efforts should be made to protect the businesses for the local people. The Basket can easily be referred to as the Cocoa of the Upper East Region due to the critical role the production and sale has had on the people. Sadly because the industry has not received the needed attention neighboring countries like Burkina Faso buys the Baskets from Bolgatanga send them to their country to label them and export them as Burkina Baskets. In much the same way Asian countries like Vietnam produce a replica of Bolgatanga Baskets and call them Vietnam Basket. The strong Baskets Dealers and Export is therefore calling on authorities to pay attention to the industry. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Contributor Prosper Adaakai Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications.
JUST IN: Check whether your annual evaluation form has been submitted- NSS to 2019 National Service Personnels
Apexnewsgh.com has it that in recent times, the National Service Scheme asked 2019 group of trained teachers to make their annual evaluation form available to their various district offices to enable the processing of their NSS certificate. However, after submitting your form to the NSS district office, you are still not sure whether your form has been submitted to the head office or not. Please do not disturb yourself about that anymore Apexnewsgh.com is with you. In order to be sure, all National Service Personnel are encouraged to continue checking from their NSS portal and make sure their forms have been submitted accurately. Here are the steps to make sure your form have been submitted. Follow the procedure below to check the status of your annual evaluation forms Visit your NSS dashboard @ Portal.nss.gov.gh Select sign in as personnel Enter your email address and password Scroll down to annual submission status You will see Change Request Approved. From there it means your Annual Evaluation has been Submitted or not, if it has been submitted you will see Annual Evaluation Submitted. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications.
Sissala- Kassena- Fraah and Bulkawe CREMA inaugurated in the Western Wildlife Corridors
The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission has inaugurated the Sissala- Kassena- Fraah Community Resource Management Area, (CREMA) in Tumu and the Bulkawe Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) in Sandema to manage the forest and wildlife resources of the area. In line with Section 1(1) of the Wild Animal Preservation Act 43 of 1961, the inauguration will empower landowners, land users, and the communities to sustainably manage and benefit economically from the natural resources of the area. Speaking at one of the inauguration ceremonies at Sandema, the Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission in a speech read on his behalf by the Operation Manager of Protected Area, Umaru Dubiru Farouk indicated that in order to address the decline in wildlife resources, a Community and Collaborative Wildlife Management Policy was developed by the Wildlife Division in 2000. The Executive Director urged the Committee to work with the local government to support it with full political backing adding the committee has a great potential to mediate a balance between conservation and development. On his part the Manager of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission in charge of the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Belt, Joseph Binlinla disclosed that under the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project (SLWMP), the Forestry Commission through the Wildlife Division was establishing the CREMA in the Western Wildlife Corridors. He added that Bulkawe as one of the six CREMAs comprising fifteen (15) constituent Communities including Wupensa, Yipala, Deninga, Siniensi, Banchongsa, Kanderma, Kalijisa, Balansa, Nakong, Katiu, Doborinsa, Kari, Namonsa, Chiana and Kardema. Mr. Bilinla indicated that the operational area covers over one hundred and forty four thousand hectares Guinea Savannah Vegetation. Mr. Binlinla noted that a CREMA constitution had been prepared by communities and passed by the General Assembly and subsequently published in the Government Bulletin by the Government Publisher, in accordance with the local Government Act 462 of 1993. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Contributor Prosper Adaankai Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications.
JUST IN EXCLUSIVE: I Have No Doubt That, If We Are Vigilant, If We Police The Polling Station Well, If We Have Very Good Polling Agents, Victory Will Be Ours- Mark Woyongo
Former Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central and former Interior Minister of the Republic of Ghana Mark Woyongo is more confident that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will recapture the seat from the governing New Patriotic Party come December 7. The former Interior Minister in an exclusive interview with Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com said, there are a lot of factors ahead pointing to the victory of NDC in the Navrongo Central. According to him, some of the projects which are ongoing under the NPP administration were commissioned by him in 2016 before they lost power. He sighted the Navrongo- Naaga road as one of the projects he commissioned and was handed over to a contractor in 2016. Even though Mr. Woyongo appreciates how that particular road was important to the people of the Southern sector, he emphasized that NPP only came and rewarded the contract to another contractor. However, he said because of his role and projects he brought to people in that enclave, he got a lot of votes from them. Talking about the ongoing Tono treatment plant, Mr. Woyongo told Apexnewsgh.com that in 2016, he made a lot of capital out of it, because then, the NDC administration had already acquired funding for the Tono project which is currently ongoing. However, he said it is sad the NPP is claiming the credit for an already made project. However, Mr. Woyongo said above all, he is confident that the people of Navrongo have seen the difference between NDC and NPP for the last 4 years because they have not seen virtually any developmental project in Navrongo compared to his days as their Member of Parliament. “…without any hesitation, I would say the seat is their the taken, NDC will win that seat and I have my reasons. The people of Navrongo have seen the difference between the NDC and NPP. For the last 4 years, we have seen virtually no development project in Navrongo. NPP is touting the award of the contract from Navrongo to Naaga as one of their projects. This is a project I commissioned in 2016 and it was given to a contractor and shortly after that we lost the election, they stopped the contract and rewarded it after 2 years. I made a lot of noise about it during my 2016 campaign and the 2016 campaign was very interesting because that road was so important to people of the Southern sector that’s from Navrongo, Kologo to Naaga and beyond.” “…so, I got a lot of votes from that area. Now these people have come and they have given it out on contract and / rewarded the contract and they are touting it.” ‘’…the Tono water system, the treatment plant that is ongoing at the moment, 2016 I made a lot of capital out of it because we had acquired the funding for that project. The funding was acquired, it was at the ministry of finance and on my runs during the 2016 campaign, I made so much noise about that and I said, we are going to have a treatment plant in Navrongo at Tono, it will bring water to Navrongo, it will bring water to Bolga, it takes water to Paga and partly Chuchuluga, we made all the noise about it. They have come and they are implementing it, fine…it is good. But the people know that it was initiated during my tenure.” He stressed “…a lot of these projects were done in Navrongo, you can talk about the asphalting of the road, the Doba water treatment plant, a water system which is now made it possible for people in Navrongo to have water flowing through their tap 24/7 there are a lot of projects and the people are making the comparison.” “Above all, the fall out of the NPP primaries will play to the advantage of the NDC. I am saying this because yesterday night, I was at two separate rallies in Navrongo, and to be honest with you, I was excited when at both rallies members of the NPP from the Kofi Adda’s camp came out to speak boldly, chastising their party and they vowed that they will never vote for the NPP anymore even if Kofi Adda as them to vote for NPP, they will never vote for NPP and it cut across the whole constituency, it is not just at this two places we had the rally since I came I have been going round and that is what is happening in Navrongo itself. So, I have no doubt that, if we are vigilant, if we police the polling station well, if we have very good polling agents, victory is ours.” He said Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/ Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications.